http://www.wvrecord.com/news/newsview.asp?c=179241Teen's suicide settled
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
By John O'Brien - Charleston Bureau
CHARLESTON - A Tucker County outdoors treatment center and the parents of a 14-year-old boy who committed suicide more than five years ago have reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought on by the parents.
Paul and Diana Lewis and the Alldredge Academy in Davis settled for $1.2 million with a stipulation that the academy would admit responsibility for the death. [Way to go Lewises]
The Lewis' son, Ryan, told instructors that he had been trying to kill himself and a day later, Feb. 13, 2001, he hanged himself, according to a lawsuit filed through Charleston attorney Jim Lees.
The case was filed in Kanawha Circuit Court.
The Lewises, of Massachusetts, sent their son to participate in a three-month program at the center, which offered therapy through outdoor activities.
After Ryan Lewis' death, Alldredge Academy was shut down by former state Health and Human resources Secretary Paul Nusbaum. Investigators decided the academy did not have instructors qualified enough to handle suicidal children.
The school, also known as Ayne Institute, has since reopened. Its website promises, "Our unique philosophy and flexible program length is the perfect option for the difficult and possibly dangerous situations many families are facing today. Using proven emotional growth techniques, Alldredge supports parents and siblings of adolescents through family workshops."
The ST spin:
Alldredge Academy Teen Suicide Lawsuit Settled
Angie Senic
Executive Director
304-259-2262
A civil lawsuit over the suicide death of Ryan Lewis in 2001 has been settled with the family of Lewis coming to terms with the principals of Alldredge Academy, according to West Virginia court documents made public today. In compliance with the mutual settlement Alldredge Academy readily acknowledged [readily?] its responsibility for the safety [death?] of the teen and also agreed to pay the family members and estate $1.2 million dollars.
"While we will always grieve for Ryan and his wonderful family, it is time to begin the healing and put this tragedy behind us," said L. Jay Mitchell, the founder of Alldredge. "It was an isolated, unforeseen and devastating incident, and has only furthered our resolve to help young people and their families put their lives back together by providing the best therapeutic and educational models possible"
Alldredge Academy is a fully accredited school and wilderness program for at-risk youth located in the mountains of north central West Virginia. The nationally-recognized program has successfully treated hundreds of troubled teens and their families since its founding in 1999. As a member of the highly regarded National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP), Alldredge continues to be one of the fastest growing and most widely respected programs in the United States. The academy attracts adolescent boys and girls ages 13-18 from around the nation, and is regularly feted at professional conferences and behavioral health seminars as one of the most effective and innovative wilderness programs of its kind.
"We are of course saddened by loss suffered by the Lewis family" said Richard McKinless, the father of a teenage son enrolled in the program at the same time Ryan Lewis was. "But Alldredge has been an incredibly positive force for many families like ours. This program made in an incredible difference for our family when we didn't know where to turn."
Alldrege's values-based program is designed to rapidly engage adolescents in order to move them beyond the academy's basic wilderness model into four distinct therapeutic and educational environments. These programs range from its fully accredited residential school to family workshops.
More information on Alldredge Academy can be obtained online or by calling 1-888-468-1828.
